Wide format ink jet recording materials are typically manufactured as wide rolls (i.e., greater than or equal to 24 inches in width), and are roll-fed into large printers for imaging. These materials are commonly used in commercial settings for applications including large advertisements, movie theater posters, outdoor signage and the like.
Unlike narrow format ink jet recording materials, wide format materials, which are intended for long distance viewing, are required to meet more rigorous performance standards. For example, long distance viewing demands heightened acuity or sharpness in formed images and increased color gamut, background brightness and whiteness. In addition, wide format ink jet materials are often exposed to different use environments (e.g., outdoor use), which place additional demands on these materials in terms of color stability, resistance to light-induced fading, waterfastness, humidity resistance, abrasion resistance, and the like. It is further noted that wide format ink jet recording materials may encounter more ink per unit area when run through certain commercial printers and thus must effectively address problems with poor image quality, color bleed, smearing and cockle.
Prior art attempts to meet these more rigorous performance requirements include the use of fluorescent whitening agents in ink jet coatings to increase the background brightness and whiteness of resulting recording materials. Fluorescent whitening agents, however, degrade and, to a lesser extent, react with other coating components thereby contributing to the yellowing (i.e., poor light or fade resistance) of the resulting ink jet recording material.
Efforts to minimize this effect include decreasing the level of fluorescent whitening agents in the ink jet coating. Unfortunately, the corresponding decrease in background brightness/whiteness renders such materials less suitable for use in wide format printing applications. Attempts to correct this deficiency by using superior or more expensive grades of exceptionally white and bright base paper, adversely impacts upon the economics of these materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,785 to Schliesman et al. discloses a low pH aqueous suspension for application to optionally sized substrates, such as paper. The aqueous suspension comprises: absorptive silica pigment (e.g., a mixture of ≧75% silica gel having a pore volume of 0.5 to 1.5 cc/g and a ≧10% alumina or alumina hydrate), a polyvinyl alcohol binder (e.g., low molecular weight, partially hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohols) and a cationic fixing agent (e.g., polydiallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride), dispersed at low pH ranges of 4.0 to 7.5. The acidic pH of the aqueous suspension is believed to enhance cationic function resulting in rapid dry times and improved ink hold out and color density.
Recording materials prepared from low pH coating compositions, however, are less suitable for use in wide format printing applications where these materials tend to be less stable and thus more susceptible to fading and yellowing. Moreover, images formed on the recording materials described in Schliesman et al. have image densities that are too low to render these materials suitable for use in wide format printing applications.
In view of the above, a need exists for bright, white ink jet recording materials, which are not susceptible to fading or yellowing, and which provide images having high image densities.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide such an ink jet recording material.
It is a more particular object to provide an ink jet recording material suitable for use in wide format printing applications, which demonstrates good printability and which can provide images having excellent water and humidity resistance and high image densities.
It is yet a more particular object of the present invention to provide an economical, bright, white ink jet recording material, which demonstrates good printability and good light or fade resistance, and which provides images having excellent water and humidity resistance and high image densities.